Woman gives birth on shoulder of Interstate 5 near Rogue River

A woman early this morning gave birth to a baby girl along the shoulder of Interstate 5 near Rogue River, fire and rescue personnel said.

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Posted Nov. 27, 2013 at 6:50 PM
Updated Nov 27, 2013 at 9:50 PM

Posted Nov. 27, 2013 at 6:50 PM
Updated Nov 27, 2013 at 9:50 PM

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A woman early this morning gave birth to a baby girl along the shoulder of Interstate 5 near Rogue River, fire and rescue personnel said.

A call came into Rogue River Fire District No. 1 at 2:03 a.m. of a woman and her mother in-law in need of assistance, but newborn Emma was already in her grandmother's arms by the time emergency crews arrived, said medic Alfredo Echaide.

"We got dispatched to a pregnancy call. The mom said her water broke and she was crowning, so we got over there as quickly as we could," said Echaide, 38.

It was a startling 27 degrees outside, Echaide says, adding "the main thing with a mother and a newborn is keeping them warm."

KTVL Channel 10 said mother Rachael Metcalf was traveling from her home in Merlin to a hospital in Medford after experiencing contractions. Metcalf was with her mother in-law, Carol Moore, KTVL reported.

"She had the urge to go to the bathroom, so they pulled over, but she was in so much pain she was unable to get back into the vehicle," Echaide said. "They were right on the freeway, on the shoulder."

Moore delivered the baby as her daughter in-law laid on a blanket spread on the shoulder of the southbound lane of Interstate 5 near mile marker 47, Echaide said.

"They were very glad to see us. €¦ We were glad we were there to help out," said Echaide, who cut the umbilical cord before transporting the mother and newborn to Providence Medford Medical Center.

"As far as I know, she (Emma) is doing great, she is healthy," Echaide said, adding he'd never been in a similar situation. "Those types of calls aren't too prevalent."